"A curse? A mark hun? Well, I don't know anything about that" Governor Marielle says after pondering a while.
"Come on mother. She's been plagued with it for a long time. It has done worse things to her than the slave brand. In fact, if not for her, I wouldn't be here today. Please, mother, help her"
"I only know one person powerful enough in this kingdom. The Queen"
"Does that mean it's hopeless?"
"No. I can seek an audience with the queen but it might take a while. You might have to stay in that bubble for a while Alea"
"It's no problem Governor Marielle. At least for once, I'm not hurting anybody. I can manage"
"I'll send correspondence to the Queen. I'm sure she would be interested. After all, she just ascended to be a goddess"
"Wow. A lot has happened since I was gone"
"Yeah. She has three children now. The only thing that hasn't changed is that she has no king yet"
"It is for the best. The last time we had a king, he almost ruined Ataliya"
"Hmm, yeah. I'll go write the correspondence now" Governor Marielle says and leaves the living room.
Alea was trapped in a pink bubble where her bad luck was temporarily halted. That the bubble was enough to stop her bad luck simply astounded her. The Governor was much more powerful than any mage she had met. Even the servants were no joke. The ones that stood at the gate could easily crush King Sol where he stood.
The magi waves coming from the present Feri were much stronger than the ones coming from her when she was in captivity. It was no joke when she said she could kill King Sol back in the kingdom of Talkita.
"How does it feel in there Alea?"
"Like I'm floating. I can barely feel my body"
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to make you normal"
"Okay" she replied offhandedly. Her mind wasn't there anymore. It was somewhere else.
Somewhere in the past.
A ring of fire with a wooden stake in the middle. A young girl tied to the stake, gagged and scared. A group of people in black hoods, chanting an ancient incantation. Then slitting their wrists and neck. The blood pooling from their body seeps to the fire and it comes alive. It licks at her skin and she's unable to cry out or move.
A lone woman standing in the fire holding a ball of fire. It's pressed to her shoulder and she howls in pain.
"May the daughter of the moon unite with the sun. May the sun return to us once more. Anuk-Rahman" she says and the symbol of the sun appears on her shoulder. She sees the shadow of a man in the fire. The world goes black.
"Lea...lea....ALEA!" Sol cries out in panic.
"Hun?"
"Are you okay? You were screaming"
"I'm fine. I just had a daydream"
"Alea....."
"Sol, leave her be. She's rattled now. She'll talk when she's ready"
Sol sighs and leaves Alea alone.
A blonde head poked into the living room curiously.
"Amila?"
"Oh, hi Sister Feri. Mother said to tell you the queen had accepted to see us. We go tomorrow"
"Okay. Thank you" Feri says and the little blonde skips away.
The rest of the day is painfully long and uneventful. Sol and Alea meet Feri's sisters. None of them look like their mother as much as Feri. One wouldn't even be able to tell the five of them were sisters. They also meet Alea's seven brothers. Five of them are Feri's blood brothers while the remaining two were from her stepfathers.
The next morning, the four of them stood in front of the Queen's palace. It was much more majestic than anything she had seen in her life. She was truly awed by the architecture.
They were asked to wait for a while because the Queen was busy. When the Queen was done, they were called into the throne room.
The Queen was the most beautiful woman Alea had ever seen in her life. Her unimpressed eyes, her long wavy hair, her well-built figure, and her grace just blew Alea's mind. She felt the powerful urge to kneel before her. So, she did.
"Kohra?" Feri says unconsciously. She soon corrected herself. Insubordination to the Queen was considered a felony in the kingdom.
"Feriella. It's been a while"
"You're Queen now"
"Yeah. You weren't at my coronation or my wedding. Your mother later told me you were missing"
"Yeah....argh!" She screams as a figure tackles her to the ground.
"Jeir!!" She shrieks when she sees the person who tackled her.
"Oh Feri, I've missed you so much. We all have"
"I missed you too Jeir. I imagined you would've left the kingdom a long time ago. You two were so eager to"
"I would've if Kohra hadn't made me her royal Advisor. So I'm stuck here. It's your fault Feri. You should've been the Royal advisor" Jeir pouts. Feri laughs and hugs her.
"Feri, why would you bring that thing into my palace? It repulses me" Kohra says coldly, pointing at Alea.
"You know very well how much I hate the gods. Why would you bring the slave of one into my home?"
"What are you talking about Kohra? That's my friend Alea"
"Oh, she hasn't told you. Why don't you tell them the truth, dear Alea?"